Life Chats

I kept asking myself, “How could I possibly follow up from that Ireland Life Chats post?” That was my favorite one to date and I feel as though I shared so much. Is there even life after Ireland? Haha, of course there is, although it took me about a week to get back into the swing of things. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “what’s next” and “where do I go from here?” I just have this urge to keep going places and to keep having new experiences and that brings me to the topic for today.

I mentioned how something really changed within me from that trip and I have been tapping into that much more ever since I got back. In many ways it’s just opening up my eyes to more of what the world has to offer as well as ways that I can help and do better. I want to be apart of things that can truly make a difference and a positive impact on others. I’ll be the first to admit that I can get so caught up in my own life that I forget what is going on in the rest of the world. I don’t want to get like that anymore and in many ways, Ireland made me see the bigger picture. I have a ton of places that I want to travel to still, but I don’t just want to go and visit. I want do something meaningful while I am there. I have been doing a lot of research lately on participating in some volunteer trips in other countries. Depending on whom you go through, you can choose from several different countries and projects that you would like to be apart of. I decided that I would want to help out in the schools to be with the children. I found some really amazing opportunities that I am looking further into and I hope to make at least one of them work for 2016!

These trips can be pricey, but I believe it’s definitely well worth it. I watched some testimonials and read blog posts from those who have volunteered and it’s another type of life changing experience that I wish to have. The really cool part about this is that not only are you getting to help out and make a difference for the kids, but you also get a little bit of free time on the weekends to explore and sightsee too. I feel like that is giving the best of both worlds. This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to volunteer and help out locally because I do and I will. I just have this deep need for more travel right now and if I can help while doing so then that is amazing. My best friend’s parents have a house in Honduras and she will be going out there next year for a few weeks to help out in the schools. She is actually part of this foundation called FEIH and their mission is to provide the children of Honduras with quality education. She’s become very passionate about this and the more she talks about it the more I want to get involved too. I am thinking about taking this trip with her and having my first volunteer experience before booking something on my own. Have any of you ever done volunteer work abroad? If so, I would love to know more about it!

After meeting so many people during my trip and hearing all of their incredible travel stories, I was inspired to enroll in an online course to get my TEFL certification. This basically means that once I finish the course I will be certified to teach English in any country in the world. This is a yearlong online class, which gives me plenty of time to study and learn the tools needed to make this happen. English was actually my minor in college, so why not do something with it?! I truthfully have no specific plans right now as to when I would teach or where I would go, but I love the idea of knowing that it’s an option and will be for the rest of my life. I have no idea what the future has in store for me or where life will take me in the next 3-5 years, but if I am in the position to live in another country for 6 months and teach English, then why not? This is also another way that I could volunteer at schools if I decided that I didn’t want to do a long-term commitment.

Possibilities in life are endless if we are open to them. I never once thought about this before Ireland. Teaching was not on my radar. I don’t even know if I would have considered living in a different country, but the fact that one solo trip brought this upon me speaks volumes. The inspiration effect, as I like to call it, is powerful. I was not sure if I wanted to share this with you yet, especially since I literally just enrolled and all of these ideas are floating around in my mind. I know that it will take time before I can bring this all to life. I just wanted you to see how amazing it is to step outside of your comfort zone and to keep an open mind because when you do, so much can change. So much can happen for you. New doors will open that you suddenly now want to walk through. It’s an incredible feeling and if you have not experienced it yet, I really hope that you do. <3